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February 1
Credited As Righteousness
Genesis 15:6 is one of the most important verses
in all of the Bible and is quoted several times
elsewhere. In it, the formula for
salvation is given.
Abraham was given righteousness. He did
nothing to earn it aside from believing.
Abraham did not live a righteous life. He
didn't follow a bunch of ceremonial rules.
All he did was believe God.
Belief is the key to salvation. In the
church era, we are saved by our belief in Jesus
Christ. We don't just believe that Jesus
lived but rather that He lived a perfect life,
died on the cross for our sins, then was raised
from the dead by God the Father. Because
of this our sins are forgiven.
Belief is expressed in different ways. In
Romans we are told to "confess with our mouths
that Jesus is Lord." In the Old Testament
belief was expressed by participating in the
sacrificial system. There was no magic
involved in the sacrifice that caused
forgiveness of sins. Instead it was belief
that God would forgive. Forgiveness was
ultimately granted when Jesus died on the cross.
We can't be righteous on our own. It takes
belief in what the Lord is doing and it takes
God to grant that righteousness to us. |
